Investors tracking shares of National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) may have taken notice that the stock has risen 3.11% over the last 4 weeks. Tracking back over the last half-year, shares have seen a change of 9.05%. Looking out over the past 52-weeks, shares have moved 1.67%. Watching the last 5 trading periods, shares have changed 1.65%.

One way to completely avoid market mistakes is to not invest at all. Of course, that could end up to be the greatest mistake of all. Investors will occasionally make some mistakes, as that comes with the territory. The key as with most things in life is to figure out how to learn from past mistakes and use that knowledge to make better decisions going forward. Pinpointing exactly what went wrong may help shed some light on what needs improvement. Sometimes, investors will suffer losses and become discouraged right out of the gate. The tendency is to then try to recoup losses by taking even bigger risks which can lead to complete disaster. One of the biggest differences between successful investors and failed investors is the willingness and ability to learn from past personal mistakes.   

Traders may be focusing in on the ATR or Average True Range indicator when performing stock analysis. At the time of writing, National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) has a 14-day ATR of 0.62. The average true range indicator was developed by J. Welles Wilder in order to measure volatility. The ATR may assist traders with figuring out the strength of a breakout or reversal in price. It is important to note that the ATR was not designed to determine price direction or to predict future prices.

We can also take a look at the Average Directional Index or ADX of the stock. For traders looking to capitalize on trends, the ADX may be an essential technical tool. The ADX is used to measure trend strength. ADX calculations are made based on the moving average price range expansion over a specified amount of time. ADX is charted as a line with values ranging from 0 to 100. The indicator is non-directional meaning that it gauges trend strength whether the stock price is trending higher or lower. The 14-day ADX for National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) presently sits at 21.66. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would indicate a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would signify an extremely strong trend.

Taking a closer look from a technical standpoint, National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) presently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 128.26. Typically, the CCI oscillates above and below a zero line. Normal oscillations tend to stay in the range of -100 to +100. A CCI reading of +100 may represent overbought conditions, while readings near -100 may indicate oversold territory. Although the CCI indicator was developed for commodities, it has become a popular tool for equity evaluation as well.

A commonly used tool among technical stock analysts is the moving average. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators that simply take the average price of a stock over a certain period of time. Moving averages can be very helpful for identifying peaks and troughs. They may also be used to assist the trader figure out proper support and resistance levels for the stock. Currently, the 200-day MA for National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) is sitting at 61.11.

With the stock market trading at current levels, investors may be tossing around ideas about how to trade the next few quarters. As we slip further into the second half of the year, investors may be assessing the latest earnings reports and trying to calculate the future prospects of certain stocks. Finding bargain stocks at current levels may be much harder than spotting hidden gems when markets are down. Plowing through the fundamentals may help sort out some of the questions that investors may have that come along with trading at these levels. Investors may have to do a little more homework in order to identify that next great trade, but the rewards may be well worth the extra time and effort

The Williams Percent Range or Williams %R is a technical indicator worth taking a look at. National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) currently has a 14 day Williams %R of -3.03. The Williams %R fluctuates between 0 and -100 measuring whether a security is overbought or oversold. The Williams %R is similar to the Stochastic Oscillator except it is plotted upside-down. Levels above -20 may indicate the stock may be considered is overbought. If the indicator travels under -80, this may signal that the stock is oversold. Chart analysts may also use the indicator to project possible price reversals and to define trends.